All Music Guide to Hip-Hop: The Definitive Guide to Rap and Hip-Hop (Paperback)

by Hal Leonard Corp. (Creator) "A+ came into the rap game with a lot going for him..." (more)
Key Phrases: New York, All Music Guide, Thomas Erlewine (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
Praise for the "All Music Guide series: "Delivers on the promise of every reference tool ... It makes you delirious with knowledge."

Product Description
This comprehensive guide is a must-have for the multitude of fans of today's best-selling popular music. The latest in the definitive series, the All Music Guide to Hip-Hop offers entertaining and informative reviews that lead readers to the best recordings by their favorite artists and help them find new music to explore. Informative biographies, essays, and "music maps" trace hip-hop's growth from its roots in urban soul and old-school MCs and DJs, to its mainstream breakout during the '90s and the myriad branches that thrive today.

Product Details

• Paperback: 646 pages
• Publisher: Backbeat Books (October 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879307595
• ISBN-13: 978-0879307592
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.4 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #536,725 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the real thing, October 11, 2003

A Kid's Review

This is the real kind of rap music, not just the kind you hear on the radio. This book goes into detail not just the mainstream artists of rap, but also underground favorites. It also rates each artists albums out of five stars. It provides a (usually)small biography on the artist as well as who he/her worked with in the past. The book also gives you a well rounded vision of hip-hop in general by showing you where all the different genres of rap originated, and what distinguishes them. Every time I go to buy an album I look it up here first. It is also very recent, going all the way up to the summer of 2003. Overall, well worth your money.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great, October 1, 2004

By	Chris (St.Louis,MO) - See all my reviews

This is one of the best music books I have ever purchased it has reviews on almost every hip hop album ever made for all the Youngsters of the rap game that have no education in hip hop buy this book at once and find something out on Kool DJ Herc-Grandwizard Theodore-Grandmaster Caz the originators if you dont know the Message you dont know rap-Good day

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Nicely Put Together, December 5, 2003

By	Jelani Kimble "JELANI KIMBLE, HIP-HOP HISTORIAN" (West Covina, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Just to reiterate what was mentioned earlier, this book goes nicely in depth, going back to originating artists as well as current mainstream as well as underground heavy hitters. I have alot of fun looking through this guide. Any big Hiphop fan should love this book. There were a few artists I felt should definitely have been included in the book, but were not. However, there was a good effort put into this book.